A wonder called Vietnam

Although many still imagine Vietnam through the lens of war, it is a country filled with captivating natural beauty that makes it an outstanding travel destination, writes Shaju Peter

IN July 2009 when FICCI invited me to be a member of the Indian Trade Delegation to Vietnam, I jumped at the opportunity because I was curious to know as to what the country would be like more than 30 years after the horrendous war that claimed more than two million lives.

I landed Ho Chi Minh City (HCM), previously known as Saigon, on October 4 in a beautifully built though modest airport. The weather was warm and humid. HCM City is the largest city in Vietnam with a population of 84 million. Situated on the eastern coast of Indo-China peninsula like an S curve, Vietnam shares its border with China in the north and Cambodia and Laos in the west. To the east is South China Sea that gives the country a coastline of 1600 kilometers.

The half-an-hour drive to the city was enjoyable and hassle-free. At the airport I changed some dollars into local currency and instantly became a millionaire! Each Indian rupee fetches nearly 370 Vietnamese dongs but shopping in local currency can be a nightmare.

What strikes a first timer in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi is the number of motor vehicles on the streets. There would invariably be more motorized two-wheelers than cars and it is indeed a sight to see rows and rows of motorbikes at junctions waiting for the signal to turn green from red.

The next thing that strikes you is the grace and charm of the Vietnamese long dress called Ao Dai that the women wear. It consists of a pair of silk trousers, loosely worn from the waist to the feet. The top is sort of a figure-hugging kurta with full sleeves, high necked, which stops short of the shoes by a few inches and cut square on both sides.

To a Vietnamese the loyalty to one's family comes before all else just as it is with us in India. Families honor their ancestors by performing special ceremonies. Ancestor worship is a dominant feature of Vietnamese culture.

The shop signs are generally bilingual, English and Vietnamese, though Vietnam was under French control for nearly a century from 1860. French restaurants are quite common and if you walk into a bookstall one could always find shelves and shelves allocated to literature in French.

Ho Chi Minh City looks every inch a modern metropolis with five-star hotels, skyscrapers and massage parlors of all colours.

The number of art studios amazed me with the quality of contemporary Vietnamese art but the Chinese imprint was highly visible whether it was painting or handicrafts.

When it comes to religion Vietnam to me was an enigma. I found the faithful kneeling in the imposing cathedrals built by the French during the colonial days. But the Buddhist Pagodas far outnumbered other shrines. Vietnamese Buddhists, by and large, follow Mahayana Buddhism, the Chinese version and not the Theravada variety practiced in India and elsewhere. Lord Buddha makes a magnificent presence in state mansions and public places. Existing side by side are local cults and followers of Taoism and Confucianism.

It was fascinating to see granite sculptures of Shiva and Parvati in the National Museum of Fine Arts in Hanoi. The Hindu kingdom of Champa appeared in the late second century and flourished till the 15th in South Vietnam around present day Da Nang. The kingdom had lively commercial relations with India and the period was marked by the immigration of Indian literati and priests. The Cham royalty adopted Hinduism, employed Sanskrit as the sacred language and borrowed heavily from the Indian art. Most temples were dedicated to Cham kings associated with divinities, especially Shiva, who was regarded as the founder and protector of Champa's dynasties. Champa was influenced by Hinduism and many of its sanctuaries containing Shiv Lingas are still worshipped by ethnic Vietnamese and ethnic Chinese alike.

I was intrigued to see a Hindu temple right in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City. The welcome arch read "Subramaniam Temple." I looked inside to find not a single soul except for a solitary incense stick burning and the idols of Lord Muruga flanked by Lord Ganesha and Lord Venkatesha on either side. The Indian population was sizeable in Saigon during the colonial days. There were Chettiars from South India, who settled from the former French enclaves of Pondicherry and Karikal. The three temples they built in Ho Chi Minh City alone stand mute testimony to the Indian presence in the past. After the reunification of North and South in 1975 the Tamils left Vietnam back to their roots in Tamil Nadu or elsewhere.

Ho Chi Minh, after whom the city has been named, had led and won the Vietnamese heroic struggles against the French and the Americans and dreamed about a strong and independent Vietnam and prosperity for its people. He died in 1969 and his body is embalmed and preserved in a memorial mausoleum, which is open to the public 9 to noon every day.

HOME